Expensive

Creed Aventus vs Imperial Millesime Comparison

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Deciding which fragrance to buy can be tricky sometimes, as there are a multitude of factors from which to consider. This can become especially true when the colognes that you are considering cost in the triple digits to buy.

It is one thing to purchase a crummy scent that was $20 for the bottle versus one which was $175+. Creed is a luxury boutique brand known for its high quality ingredients and beautifully crafted scents.

In this post, I want to do a bit of a comparison between two options from Creed, Aventus vs Imperial Millesime and break down which will be the better option for most people and highlight the pros and cons of each.

Tale of the Tape: Aventus vs. Imperial Millesime

 

Creed Aventus 

creed aventus

Notes of Creed Aventus: 

Top: Blackcurrant,Italian bergamot, French apples and pineapple

Middle: Rose, dry birch, Moroccan jasmine, and patchouli

Base Notes: musk, oak moss, ambergris, and vanilla.

Click here to read my original Aventus Review

Click here to get Aventus: Aventus by Creed

Creed Imperial Millesime

Notes include: Lemon, Iris, Green Bergamot, Mandarin

My original review of Imperial

Click here to try Imperial Millesime: Creed Imperial

Opening 

The opening of Aventus can be a pretty harsh citrus to deal with. I don’t really like the opening of Aventus and if all I’d have to go by was the first 15 minutes or so, I’d think that this fragrance wasn’t worth wearing. The pineapple, blackcurrant, and the dryness of birch can be a bit much at first.

However, the fragrance settles down into something much more enjoyable and fresh. The next wave has less of the pineapple, more birch/oak moss, and some sweetness provided by a light vanilla and French apple. 

Meanwhile, the opening of Imperial is much smoother, with a wonderful melon type of scent that blends with sea salt to create something quite pleasant.

The melon-like smell is like a blend of a standard melon and a bit of watermelon. This is paired with a salty aquatic note, which is why I suppose it comes across smelling that way. It’s actually lemon and mandarin orange, as the notes, and not any watermelon. 

Anyway, Imperial Millesime is juicy, musky, and very bright in the opening stages. Which scent is better? To me, I greatly prefer the start to Imperial, more than I ever have Aventus. 

Edge: Imperial Millesime

Projection

Neither one of these fragrances is slipping in quality when it comes to projection. Aventus never really requires more than two sprays while Imperial is no slouch either. Aventus is the stronger of the two and I’d say it projects more than Imperial does.

So, both start strong, but Aventus reaches the higher heights of sillage and keeps at it for longer. 

Edge: Aventus

Longevity

Wearing both of these colognes, I haven’t noticed a difference in terms of how long they last. I usually get 7-10 hours of solid performance out of each. Mostly, Aventus will go 8 or 9 hours on my skin, a bit less when it’s hot out.

Imperial is usually around 7 or 8 hours, but can last better in the heat than can Aventus. It can also reach that 10 hour mark, on occasion, like Aventus. No clear winner, in my experience. 

Edge: Push

Versatility

Creed Aventus is best worn in the spring and autumn, in my opinion. I don’t think that it holds up well in the heat, but early summer isn’t bad. On the other hand, Imperial Millesime is great for summertime wear as well as the warmer months of spring.

However, Aventus can be pulled off rather well in the winter months, to whereas Imperial would seem out of place in the cold weather.

As far as, on what occasion each of these scents could be worn, I’d say that they could arguably be worn anywhere for any event. I wouldn’t really call Imperial a date night type of cologne though and even if I’d wear other scents besides Aventus on a night out, it could be done well. 

I much prefer Imperial, as a daytime wear, in more casual situations. Overall, I’d say Aventus has the greater versatility. 

Edge: Aventus

 

 

Overall Scent

Aventus develops into something that is woodsy/masculine/leathery and the citrus notes become undertones as the fragrances wears on. Meanwhile, Imperial has that unique fruity quality blended with salt notes that just reminds me of the summer and the ocean.

I actually like Imperial better in terms of its smell, BUT I think that most men would be better served by Aventus out of the two.

I say this simply because of its greater versatility of being worn. Imperial Millesime is a great signature type of scent, but I feel that it does have its limitations.

Aventus fits in better, during more situations and climates. Imperial is rather straightforward, but has a really delightful salty melon aroma. Aventus is deeper with greater nuance.

These two are pretty neck and neck, in my book, but most would go with Aventus.  I have grown sort of tired of the formula, as there have been endless Creed Aventus ‘dupes’ coming to market over the years.

Winner: Aventus (for most guys)

Noir Anthracite by Tom Ford

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I haven’t posted anything on the site for over a week now,as I took a trip to Las Vegas and then got stuck there for a number of days more due to all of the weather-related travel cancellations. I did however, get a chance to sample some new fragrances, during my time there to write up some one-time wear reviews.

One of these scents is the new tom Ford launch, Noir Anthracite, which is a flanker fragrance to the original Tom Ford Noir. So, I’m going to delve into my initial impressions after wearing a few sprays around for the day.

I would’ve liked to spend some more time with it, to truly get a full picture of this scent, but this will have to suffice. Note: I have updated the post, after more testing.

What Does Noir Anthracite Smell Like?

Notes include: Sichuan pepper, bergamot, tuberose, ginger, cedarwood, santal, and galbanum

Click here to try: TOM FORD NOIR ANTHRACITE EAU DE PARFUM 3.4 OZ/100 ML SEALED (3.4)

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Noir Anthracite starts out with a bang. It’s spicy, intense, and the bergamot was most prevalent to my nose at this point in time.

Some of it seemed vaguely familiar, which now that I’m home, I realize it’s the Sichuan pepper note that is also found in my sample sprayer of Amouage Journey.

There is a definite overlap between these two scents, though Journey Man is smokier in my opinion. However, Noir Anthracite does kind of seem like it could have been an Amouage release, as it fits right in with that line.

I cannot think of the other cologne that Noir Anthracite sets off memories of but it does feel like deja vu.

The cedarwood and santal gives Anthractie its woodsy/smoky aroma which complements the spiciness provided by the Sichuan pepper and ginger notes. It’s actually quite a masculine scent but doesn’t overdo it in my opinion.

What’s interesting about this cologne is that it doesn’t take the route of so many others and use its spiciness to create an enveloping cloud of warmth around the wearer…maybe it’s supposed to be ‘warm’ but it never seemed like it.

Perhaps, it was due to wearing it in a desert climate. It’s a pretty strong scent but it doesn’t feel all that heavy to me, more like a dark, rich, and deep aroma.

Noir Anthracite also eschews sweetness of any kind, which is a nice change of pace versus other popular scents of this era. Yes, there is a bergamot note, but it was mostly confined to the very start of the scent’s life cycle.

After that, it’s spicy/woodsy with a smokiness that is fairly mesquite. When you get right down to it, this cologne isn’t all that complicated and stays along the same line, for the rest of the wear.

Sillage, How Long it Lasts, and Versatility

Projection on Noir Anthracite is pretty darn good. It’s strong, but not overly powerful, to the point of annoyance. The sillage also sustains itself fairly well, over the life of the wear. It doesn’t just quit a few hours after spraying.

The longevity during my wear was around 7 hours. I also spent some time outside in the heat, so that probably effected it somewhat. I’d say this is best for fall/winter and I’d need another few rounds with it to properly gauge its longevity.

Update: Yeah, it’s about 7-8 hours of wear, in the colder weather too. It’s nicer when the air is crisp, but still didn’t wow me.

It strikes me as a versatile scent, that could be worn in a business or business casual situation but also work well for nightlife at a restaurant or lounge-type of atmosphere.

It is a mature masculine kind of cologne, so I’d say skip it, if you’re still in school…at least while in the classroom.

I know a lot of Tom Ford scents are pretty unisex but this is one that leans heavily toward the more traditional masculine kind of cologne.

Again, fall/winter seems like the perfect time to wear and I’d lean more towards saving it for the nighttime. It’s not really a sexy fragrance and I don’t know how most women would react to it.

Noir Anthracite seems to be stuck somewhere between niche fragrance and mass appeal. Dark, spicy, woody, and warmth has its appeal…just not one everybody would go crazy for.

Overall Impressions of Noir Anthracite

Overall, would I rate Noir Anthracite a buy? I sort of like it, but I’m not crazy about it. It doesn’t quite fit my personal style or tastes but I know a lot of men would really enjoy it. If you’re into spicy woods fragrances, you should check this one out.

If you like sweetness or aquatic types, then, this one probably isn’t for you. There is a lot that this scent does well and I honestly can’t say anything about it is ‘bad’, it all comes down to whether or not the composition fits your lifestyle.

Ultimately, there’s a lot of peppery spice, wood, and some smoky aromas. For most people, I don’t think that it’ll blow them away, and some might hate it entirely. There’s a whole lot of Tom Ford scents, that I’d rather wear, but this one is decent.